The stirrup is an essential element of the rider's equipment in equitation sports. The stirrup, in conjunction with the saddle, provides a stable platform for the rider. Accordingly, the rider is better able to maintain balance in the saddle during equitation, and all-around comfort and safety are improved. With the use of the stirrup, the ability of the rider to stay mounted during the performance of various riding maneuvers is greatly enhanced, and the rider's confidence is thereby increased.
Conventional stirrups typically include a top portion which is secured to the saddle by a stirrup leather of known design. The conventional stirrup further includes a base or footpad attached to that top portion, for supporting the rider's foot or footwear. For rider comfort and to enhance gripping contact between the rider's footwear and the stirrup base portion, typically a pad fabricated of a suitably durable, resilient, and gripping material is provided, secured at least to the stirrup base portion.
In addition to enhancing gripping contact between the rider's footwear and the stirrup base portion, such stirrup pads provide a shock-dampening or shock-absorbing function, particularly during strenuous activities such as galloping, cantering, jumping, and the like. It is known to fabricate such pads of any number of suitably gripping and shock-absorbing materials, including rubber, plastics, various elastomers, and various polymers. The pads provide the afore-mentioned gripping and shock-absorbing or dampening properties, but are not significantly displaced by the rider's foot or footwear during use (relative to the stirrup base), providing a secure and stable platform for the rider's foot.
The conventional stirrup base portion pad provides contact only for the sole of the rider's footwear. However, this may be insufficient during very strenuous equitation, i.e., jumping, galloping, advanced dressage, and the like. Further, additional contact between the rider's foot or footwear and the stirrup pad may provide increased rider confidence. It would therefore be advantageous to provide a stirrup equipped with a stirrup pad providing additional gripping surfaces, such as for the rider's heel, to improve contact between the rider's foot or footwear and the stirrup pad.
In accordance with this need identified in the art, the present invention provides a stirrup having a top portion, a base portion connect to that top portion for supporting a rider's foot, and a stirrup pad secured to the base portion. The stirrup pad according to the present invention provides a substantially rigid, gripping surface at a rear portion of the stirrup base portion, thereby providing a gripping surface not only for contacting the sole of a rider's footwear, but also for contacting the heel. By use of the stirrup pad according to the present disclosure, contact between the rider's footwear and the stirrup during equitation is improved.